Fuel for grain drier?

Chae1

Member
Location
Aberdeenshire
Has anyone done the sums on the best value fuel for there grain drier? Ours will run on gas oil or kerosene. Kerosene was a no brainer last year @18ppl in March.

I've searched the web looking for calorific values of both. They are both pretty similar kero 43.1mj/kg gasoil 45.5mj/kg. Then to confuse things further I found fuel density! Gasoil 36.9 mj/l never found anything definitive for kerosene.
 

Farma Parma

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Northumberlandia
well if it means anything local Grain Coop until about 3 year or so ago used Kero from day one & that was when it all started in early 80's for all there grain drying needs.
they now use mains gas as its cheaper. Kero should out perform red diesel in any heating situation tho & its allways 10-12ppl cheaper in any case
 

T C

Member
Location
Nr Kelso
I changed our old Alvan Blanch drier to kero.
It was a manual adjust for the low flame, just filled the tank with kero and did not need to adjust the amount of fuel. Seemed to run the same as red.
The disadvantage is kero does not lubricate pumps as well. Keep meaning to run the last few hours of the season on red but have not got round to doing it for 12 years now.
 
well if it means anything local Grain Coop until about 3 year or so ago used Kero from day one & that was when it all started in early 80's for all there grain drying needs.
they now use mains gas as its cheaper.

We are in the process of moving from Kerosene to mains gas. Our calculated savings came out at almost £1 per tonne dried, but with significant infrastructure costs.

I can't see drying on a farm scale being economically viable using gas, unless the mains pipe already comes to the farm gate.
 

7610 super q

Never Forgotten
Honorary Member
Easier to just use diesel. Any surplus can go back in tractors etc. As an aside, I note Red Tractor now insist you keep a record of drier fuel use now. Has Red Tractor become the new Brexit ? :ROFLMAO:
 

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